Eyeglass-reel.



H. NEWBOLD.

EYEGLASS REEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 11. 1913.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

IN [/5 IV TOR HARRY NE WBOLD W MIA.

A TTORNEYS STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY NEWBOLD, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN OPTICAL COM- PANY, OF SOUTHBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, A VOLUNTARY ASSOCIATION OF MAS- SACHUSETTS.

EYEGLASS-REEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY NnwBoLD, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 46 and 48 Goswell road, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Eyeglass-Reels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in reels and has particular reference to that form of reel adapted for attachment to wearing apparel to suspend a pair of eyeglasses or other light structure.

The leading object of my invention is the provision of a novel and improved mechanism for locking the reel in desired adjusted position, which mechanism shall be extremely smooth in action.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an improved construction of pawl for use upon reels of this type and of an improved ratchet particularly adapted for use in conjunction with my pawl.

Other objects and advantages of my improved reel should be readily apparent by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and it will be readily understood that I may make any modifications in the specific details of construction shown and described within the scope of the appended claims without departing from or exceeding the spirit of my invention.

Figure I represents a plan view of an open faced reel having one form of my improved pawl secured thereto. Fig. II represents a similar view illustrating one form of my improved pawl and improved ratchet. Fig. III represents a like view showing a slight modification of the pawl and ratchet. Fig. IV represents a similar View illustrating another construction of my pawl in use with an ordinary ratchet. Fig. V represents a plan view illustrating the position of the pawl as it starts to drop into engaging position, the engaging and locked position of the pawl being indicated in dotted lines, and Fig. VI represents a prior art view showing the position at which the previously employed type of pawl starts to drop, as contrasted with the parts shown in Fig. V.

In the drawings, in which similar characters of reference are employed to denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the numeral 10 denotes the casing of the reel which is shown as of the open face type, although it will be understood that ordinarily in use a closed front is employed to conceal the interior construction of the reel and make the same more ornamental in appearance. 11 which serves as an axle for the spool 14, which is actuated to wind the chain 13 thereon by means of the spring 12, these parts being of ordinary construction and not being illustrated in detail.

Secured to the spool 14 is a pin 21 on which is pivotally mounted a pawl having a tooth 23 for engagement with the ratchet 16 to hold the drum against rotation actuated by the spring when it is desired to have the chain extended from the reel. In the prior art, as illustrated by Fig. VI, it will be noted that this pawl is pivoted at one end and extends through an arc of about 180 degrees having its free end enlarged and heavily weighted to throw the pawl into position to engage the ratchet, the weight being so disposed that considerable centrifugal force is necessary to cacilsetl pawl to swing outward on its pivot; thisbeing due to the fact that the weight is opposite the pivot instead of at an angle to the same. Consequently to hold this type of pawl out of engagement with the ratchet it is necessary to run the reel at a comparatively high rate of speed.

It is the intention of my present invention to provide a reel in which a very slight centrifugal force will serve to hold the pawl outward, and yet in which the pawl will have suflicient weight to, with entire satisfaction, securely engage the ratchet and lock the reel at desired adjusted position. To attain this result I employ a pawl having the elongated portion 19 terminating in a weighted end 20 and having mounted on the portion 19 intermediate the pivot 21 and weight 20 a. lateral extension 22 extending toward the periphery of the spool 14. One of the advantages of this construction of pawl is most clearly illustrated in Fig. V, particularly when this figure is contrasted with Fig. VI, from which it will be seen that as the spool rotates carrying the pawl with it, as the pivot comes upward the weight 22 is disposed on the outer side of the pivot, thus to a certain point balancing the portion 19 and weight 20, while in the case of the prior art the weight all being at the end 20 the pawl is entirely unbalanced and falls inwardly much sooner. In

Carried by the reel is a post addition to this balancing effect the position of the weight 22 outwardly of the pivot and not far from the pivot allows a much less centrifugal force to hold the pawl outward, this being due to the fact that in the prior art form the weight would naturally, by centrifugal force, be drawn away from the pivot and consequently the force must be great enough to cause the weight of merely the thinned central portion to be sufficient to swing the pawl outward, acting really against the centrifugal action on the portion 20. In the present instance, on the other hand, the pawl, during a large part of the operation, is balanced and this balancing, taken in conjunction with the outer position of the main weight 22 at all times makes a pawl very easily held outward even upon slow rotation of the reel. It is to be noted, however, that when the reel is run slowly to get the pawl to engage with the ratchet, that the weighted portions 20 and 22 are both disposed on the same side of the pivot 21, and consequently the full weight of these parts acts to force the pawl into locking position.

Although it is possible to employ my pawl with various forms of ratchets, it is preferable to employ my improved ratchet, three different forms of which are illustrated in Figs. II, III and V, respectively, the essential feature of the construction being the same in all instances, however, the difference lying merely in th. number of teeth on the pawl. In earlier pawls the back of each tooth 17 has been rounded but in my present pawl I, instead of rounding the back of the tooth, make it with a sharp corner 18 which corner is so disposed as to engage the inner face of the pawl, and holds the same outward an appreciable period, thus aiding centrifugal force in keeping the pawl out of engaging position as there is but a slight period of time in which the pawl is out of engagement with the point 18 and free to drop down to engage the tooth 17 as should be readily apparent by reference to the drawings.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a novel and improved locking mechanism for eyeglass reels embodying both an improved pawl and an'improved ratchet for use in connection therewith, and that the construction and relation of said parts is such as to insure an extremely smooth acting reel which can be run at a very slow rate of speed without accidental locking of the pawl with the ratchet and yet in which a considerable weight will tend to swing the pawl into locking engagement when it is desired to check the reverse rotation of the reel. It will further be observed that to secure the most satisfactory locking of the reel I have cut the tooth 23 of the pawl inwardly at a sharp angle instead of straight inward, this sharp angle leaving only a point to first engage the teeth on the ratchet, While the position of the said point relative to the pivot pin 21 of the pawl is such that the spring of the reel will tend to throw the pawl around on the point as a fulcrum, the said point consequently sliding down until the faces of the pawl and ratchet teeth are in close engagement, when the same will be satisfactorily locked, thus obviating any possibility of bare engagement of the points of the teeth with the liability of slipping off rather than into tighter engaging position, as is possible with some of the prior constructions of reels, which do not have their teeth formed in accordance with my improvement.

I claim:

1. A pawl having an attaching aperture in one end and weight on the other end and a tooth intermediate the length on the inner periphery thereof and a lateral extension opposite the tooth.

2. A pawl having an attaching aperture in one end and curved central portion and weight on the other end, and a tooth intermediate the length on the inner periphery thereof and a lateral extension opposite the tooth.

3. A pawl having a tooth on the inner periphery thereof and a pair of diverging balance weight members.

4. As an article of manufacture, a ratchet pawl having a pivot opening in one end, a weight on the other end and a balancing weight placed adjacent to the pivot thereof and a tooth on the inner periphery.

In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY NEWBOLD. Witnesses:

O. J. WORTH,

JAMES PRICE PETHERIGK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

